Boom in Downtown Ft. Lauderdale as an Emerging Art District

For too long, large parts of Downtown Fort Lauderdale consisted of mainly vacant lots and dilapidated buildings. Recently, serious retail renovation and reconstruction have transformed the area into an emerging art district for the city and metropolitan area. Urban renewal efforts have also attracted different demographics and local construction companies to the area. GSD Contracting, a trusted retail contractor, has been heavily invested in this effort.

For example, GSD Contracting is currently engaged in the program planning and construction of these projects:

Metro 1: The full-service real estate organization behind the thriving Miami Design District called Wynwood is opening a new commercial brokerage office in FAT Village.

The “Blue & White” Building: We worked closely with ownership in the renovation and refit of this building in the 700 block of Flagler Drive.

The “Hive”: In planning now, we are involved in the adaptive re-positioning/renovation of this 15,000sf mixed use property along Flagler Drive.

How Fort Lauderdale Has Improved With Renovation and Reconstruction

Renewal may have begun with Flagler Arts and Technology, more popularly known as FAT Village. This project transformed neglected warehouse space into a variety of hip businesses and artistic centers. In turn, this attracted more development and a growing population.
Consider these amazing statistics about the growth of Fort Lauderdale:

The airport has enjoyed some of the fastest growth of any airport in the nation and now ranks 21st in the country.

NerdWallet named Fort Lauderdale on its list of The 10 Best Job Markets for Millennials.

Downtown Fort Lauderdale has over 3,000 residential units; however, 1,100 more are currently under construction, over 2,600 more have been approved, and developers have already planned to add about 5,000 more.

Within the past five years, over 120 companies have either relocated or expanded their business in Broward County.

In the first half of 2015, commercial property sales topped $431 million, compared to about $55 million for all of 2009.

Improvements to Fort Lauderdale include those made to the city’s cultural and business environment. They also include improvements to transportation like an airport expansion, better mass transit, and even the development of a train between Orlando and Miami that includes a stop on Flagler Drive. Commonly, downtown residents opt to live without cars, or at least, they choose not to rely on personal vehicles for daily transportation.

In addition, the population of the city has grown and become more diverse. Since 2010, Fort Lauderdale’s population has expanded by almost seven percent. A few decades ago, the suburban population grew, but the actual city’s growth remained flat. Now, the downtown area’s emphasis on livability has attracted more people back into the city. Certainly, many millennials are opting for the city life over a suburban lifestyle.

As a Florida construction company with over three decades in the South Florida market, we are considered an integral team player in many of the city’s most exciting and productive projects. Our long-standing superior safety record and reputation for fair and honest transactions while building the businesses of others, as planned, have contributed to our success and that of our clients. Include us as a partner on your next project. Either contact us online or call us at 954.961.4222.